In the dim, gray expanse of the cosmos, seven transport warships sliced through the Qianhuan Star Domain, their destination set squarely for Phantom Star.
These were the vessels of the Giant Wave Merchant Guild, bearing their unmistakable insignia. Each ship was manned by martial artists of the Guild, the highest-ranking among them having achieved the pinnacle of the First Heaven of the Primeval God realm.
The Giant Wave Merchant Guild was the largest trading entity in the sea of stars, constantly ferrying goods between disparate domains, supplying established powers with pre-ordered cultivation materials.
The Qianhuan Sect and the Giant Wave Merchant Guild shared a long-standing partnership; the Guild’s transports frequently delivered various scarce cultivation resources to the Sect.
These seven ships were all bound for Phantom Star. The commander of the convoy, situated on the central vessel, was the only one who had attained the Primeval God realm. His name was Ban Yu, a practitioner of Flame Profundity and, notably, a Master Artifact Refiner whose mastery in that art was profoundly deep.
Ban Yu oversaw this critical shipment to Phantom Star, stationed on the most vital warship. This vessel carried three Primal Grade materials and dozens of rare and precious Divine Grade exotic flora, all destined for Phantom Star’s order.
He harbored no significant worries about the journey. Firstly, due to the reputation of the Giant Wave Merchant Guild throughout the star seas, and secondly, because they had now entered the Qianhuan Star Domain—territory firmly under the influence of the Qianhuan Sect. Since the cargo was precisely what the Sect required, any interference seemed highly improbable.
Ban Yu gazed ahead, a slight furrow in his brow, his eyes thoughtful.
Up ahead lay the crucial perimeter of Phantom Star: the Illusory Domain, known colloquially as the "Mirage of the Star Sea." It was a unique locale where any object entering it would generate vivid, lifelike phantasms, making it nearly impossible to distinguish reality from illusion.
The main planet of the Qianhuan Sect resided within this Domain. Phantom Star’s renown across the universe was surely due to this singular characteristic.
Because the planet generated countless illusions scattered throughout every corner of the Illusory Domain, any hostile fleet not recognized by Phantom Star could not ascertain the true location of the planet, becoming hopelessly lost within the pervasive mists.
Legend held that the Qianhuan Sect was once besieged by a formidable enemy who directly plunged into the Illusory Domain.
Yet, within the Domain, those hundreds of enemy warships could not pinpoint Phantom Star’s location. Instead, they were bewildered by illusions of their own fleet, driven mad until they turned on each other, resulting in the complete annihilation of the invading force within the Domain itself.
It was that incident which cemented the formidable reputation of Phantom Star and the Illusory Domain throughout the heavens and earth.
As the Illusory Domain drew closer, Ban Yu instinctively grew wary, glancing unconsciously toward a sealed chamber behind him.
Suddenly, the door of that chamber slid open, and a stern-faced youth stepped out, his gaze fixed on the periphery of the Illusory Domain, faint starlight glinting in his eyes.
Ban Yu frowned as he watched the youth, his demeanor growing solemn.
By established principle, the Qianhuan Sect prohibited strangers from entering Phantom Star. According to the agreement between the Merchant Guild and the Sect, they were forbidden from bringing individuals of unknown identity near Phantom Star, nor could they land directly. They were only permitted to hover near the perimeter while the Sect’s own martial artists ferried the cultivation materials inward.
This measure was in place to safeguard the profound secrets of Phantom Star from external probing—a long-standing protocol between the Guild and the Sect.
However, on this particular trip, the Giant Wave Merchant Guild had clearly violated the agreement unilaterally, leaving Ban Yu utterly perplexed.
The youth had been sent to Ban Yu via a dispatch from the City Lord of Ironclad City, one of the Guild’s strongholds, requesting Ban Yu give him a ride. The City Lord maintained close ties with the Qianhuan Sect and was Ban Yu’s superior; knowing this action breached protocol, he could only reluctantly agree.
The youth had boarded mid-journey; his cultivation realm and identity remained unknown, presenting Ban Yu with an aura of profound mystery.
He deduced the youth’s destination was Phantom Star and that traveling with the merchant fleet was a calculated move to avoid being targeted too early by the Qianhuan Sect, which might result in preemptive intervention. Ban Yu was unclear about the relationship between the youth and the City Lord, nor did he know the youth’s exact purpose on Phantom Star, but he remained secretly vigilant, fearing this would bring trouble to the Giant Wave Merchant Guild.
Therefore, Ban Yu had kept a careful watch over the youth throughout the journey, hoping to ascertain his objective.
“You are headed for Phantom Star, young friend?” Ban Yu mused, then suddenly flashed a slight smile, pointing ahead. “That is the Illusory Domain up front. Once we enter, many identical copies of our warships will manifest. It is quite marvelous; you should observe it closely. It is incredibly fascinating.”
“I am indeed going to Phantom Star,” the youth replied calmly.
This youth was Shi Yan. Following his discussions with Ming Hao, Xuan He, and Fei Liet in the restricted zone known as the Sea of Blood, although he had not earned the full respect of the three leaders, he had successfully ascended to the position of Sovereign Lord.
He was acutely aware that with his current level of cultivation, he could not truly command the unwavering faith of Xuan He, Fei Liet, and Ming Hao, all of whom were at the Second or Third Heaven of the Immortal realm.
He needed to prove himself, requiring a higher level of power and achievement to accumulate prestige. Only by steadily climbing and surpassing the trio could he truly secure the allegiance of the leaders.
After consultation, Ming Hao, Xuan He, and Fei Liet had arranged for him to travel to the Qianhuan Sect’s Phantom Star to confer with Ling Xiang, Xi Ze, and Luo Lin regarding a potential alliance, while also demanding the Bloodthirsty Remains.
According to Ming Hao’s intelligence, Xi Ze and Luo Lin were both currently on Phantom Star. Since Phantom Star lay deep within the Qianhuan Sect's Illusory Domain, and the Sect members relied heavily on the profundity of their own power, while they possessed teleportation arrays, these were restricted only to core internal personnel.
Consequently, he could not reach Phantom Star directly via a teleportation array.
Ming Hao had made contact with the Giant Wave Merchant Guild and arranged for Shi Yan to hitch a ride on one of their transport warships into the vicinity of Phantom Star to meet Ling Xiang. Shi Yan raised no objection to this arrangement.
“Our merchant ships are only permitted to dock at the periphery of Phantom Star; we do not have the clearance to proceed deeper. At that point, members of the Qianhuan Sect will come to collect the cultivation materials. There is no way for us to deliver you directly onto the planet,” Ban Yu shrugged, feigning helplessness, indicating this was the limit of his assistance.
Shi Yan twitched the corner of his mouth, offering a smile that held no warmth. “It’s fine. I have my own methods for entry.”
Having cultivated the Profundity of Space, if he reached the edge of Phantom Star and was unable to venture further, wouldn't all his years of cultivation have been in vain?
In truth, even if he disembarked now, he could smoothly enter Phantom Star; it would just invite minor complications along the way.
While the Illusory Domain might be rife with deception for ordinary cultivators—the "mirage" like illusions certainly causing trouble in the search for what was real, draining one’s spirit—it posed no real obstacle for him. In his view, the Domain was merely the result of peculiar spatial overlapping.
Because different spaces were intermingling within the same region, the effect mimicked a real Phantom Star. As long as one could penetrate the mystery of space, distinguishing illusion from reality became effortlessly simple for him.
The reason he didn't rush in immediately, but remained aboard the Giant Wave Merchant Guild ship, was to dedicate more mental energy to meticulously observing the Illusory Domain, striving to decipher the deeper subtleties of the spatial overlaps and integrate them into his own Profundity of Space.
“You are quite confident, young friend?” Ban Yu asked, internally startled, his gaze sharp and increasingly cautious.
Shi Yan made no reply, looking toward the rapidly approaching Illusory Domain. He executed a slight rotation of his Soul Altar, and waves of profound spiritual awareness instantly surged out, already traversing and exploring the Domain, probing the intricacies of the spatial overlaps with divine sense.
Seeing Shi Yan offer no answer, Ban Yu snorted, abandoning further attempts to pry. He stated coldly, “Then I wish you a smooth journey, young friend.”
Shortly thereafter, the seven merchant ships successively entered the Illusory Domain. Upon entry, the seven vessels underwent a strange metamorphosis: surrounding each ship, multiple identical merchant vessels instantly materialized, forming sets of seven, each column heading in a different direction.
Martial artists, likely entering the Illusory Domain for the first time, cried out in awe and wonder from the decks of the various warships, marveling at the bizarre spectacle.
They noticed that from the illusory ships that had manifested, many martial artists jumped out, mirroring their own exclamations and cheers. These figures possessed identical appearances, and their spiritual fluctuations even seemed indistinguishable from their own.
It was as if they were looking into a mirror that suddenly brought their reflections to life, endowing the mirrored figures with the appearance of genuine vitality.
It was an undeniably profound and strange experience.
Ban Yu, too, was secretly amazed, and he turned to look at Shi Yan, curious to see if Shi Yan would exhibit surprise or admiration.
Regrettably, he perceived not a shred of shock on Shi Yan’s face. He found Shi Yan utterly serene, as if he had witnessed similar scenes countless times and had become entirely numb to them.
What Ban Yu failed to grasp was that, at that moment, Shi Yan’s divine sense was threading through the different spaces within the Domain like unseen lightning bolts. His Soul Altar was spinning rapidly, emitting many spatial subtleties.
The overlapping spaces were, in his mind, mapped out and shrunk down, transforming into brilliant mirrors revolving within his consciousness, reflecting many scenes and figures so convincing they rivaled reality.
These illusory scenes and figures were active, appearing to exist in separate spaces, living as real people would, providing Shi Yan with a completely novel form of insight…
He suddenly closed his eyes.
Threads of pure soul consciousness drifted out from his Altar, instantly settling into each distinct space, entering the various illusions he himself had generated.
The instant his soul consciousness permeated these illusions, he felt a sudden surge: it was as if those phantasms had instantaneously sprung to vibrant life, becoming extensions of himself, echoing his every thought.
It felt as though those figures were truly him; the illusions residing in overlapping spaces, once infused with his soul consciousness, genuinely transformed into aspects of himself.
He was, in essence, manifesting dozens of selves, each living simultaneously in different spaces, thinking concurrently, and—watching the surrounding illusions—questioning which was true and which was false.
“Virtual and real are not eternal states. With consummate mastery, the transformation between them can be arbitrary. Manifestations can become truth!”
His spirit trembled violently. He snapped his eyes open, gazing upon the dozens of illusory Shi Yans beside him, a look of profound wonder dawning on his face.
Ban Yu, who had been secretly observing him, suddenly turned pale, his eyes wide with disbelief.
He realized that when Shi Yan opened his eyes, the numerous other Shi Yans did not match the posture of the true Shi Yan. Some of the dozens of Shi Yans remained with their eyes closed, others were laughing heartily, and still others were gesticulating wildly—each exhibiting a different expression and action.
Shi Yan’s illusions seemed to have gained true sentience, transforming from the virtual into the tangible!
Dozens of phantom figures seemed to spring alive, becoming dozens of distinct Shi Yans, performing varied actions, revealing clearly different expressions, yet their underlying aura and soul fluctuations were unmistakably those of a single person.
Ban Yu stared blankly, utterly bewildered, unable to comprehend what had occurred.
He had traversed the Illusory Domain numerous times but had never witnessed such a sight. A sudden wave of unease washed over him; he glanced at the Shi Yan beside him and felt a terrifying chill creep up his spine.